Telephone-collection-box apparatus



0. A. PEDERSEN.

TELEPHONE COLLECTION BOX APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 25, ms.

1,374,760. Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

WITNESSES INVENTOR I 8 y W ATTORNEYS 0. A. PEDERSEN.

TELEPHONE COLLECTION BOX APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.25| 1918.

1,374,760, Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- {I All):

WITNESSES I/VI/EA/TO/f,

,4 TTOHNEYS UNITED STATES os'can A- rnnnnsnn,

or NEW YORK, N. Y.

TELEPHONE-COLLECTION-BOX APPARATUS.

T 0 all to ham it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR A. PEDERSEN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, in the county of Bronx and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Telephone-Collection-Box Apparatus, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

Among the principal objects which the present invention has in View are: To se cure prepayment for telephonic services in multi-branch installations; to provide a fee prepayment system for house telephones;

and to avoid interference in the use of the branches of said system.

Drawings.

Figure 1 is a front view of a coin-receiving station box apparatus, the face of the box and portions of the structure of the mechanism therein contained being removed to expose the inner construction of the apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same, the back being removed to show the construction of the apparatus;

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing diagrammatically the cooperative arrangement of the various parts of the apparatus.

Description. I

The present invention is a development of the mechanism shown and described in United States Letters Patent for improvements in telephone collection boxes, numbered 1,254,583, granted to me January 22, 1918, to which cross reference is here made.

The apparatus shown in the drawings is particularly designed for employment in apartment houses where a local central instrument is provided with a number of branches, each branch having a transmitting and receiving instrument adapted for Specification of Letters Patent.

liminarily deposits the fee therefor. Out of this practice has arisen confusion and annoyance owing to the fact that a second or third user has made the necessary pay ment while-the telephone was employed, and when the fee for the one use-was collected, the fees for both uses were taken, with the consequent annoyance to the second or subsequent depositor of the fee.

To avoid the above-mentioned difiiculty, the present apparatus provides a series of boxes 8. In each box is mounted an electric glow lamp 9 and a peep. window 10, through whichth lamp may be seen. The lamps 9 in the various stations are operatively connected and when the lighting circuit of any one of the lampsis closed, the lighting circuits of all of the lamps are closed, including one or the other of the fee-designating lamps 11 and 12 disposed on the attendants board 13. The various boxes 8 are disposed adjacent the telephone instrument and each has a coin chute 14. There are two or more chutes 14, each being constructed to a width corresponding with circulating coins of different denominations. Usually the dimes and nickels, or ten-cent pieces and five-cent pieces of the currency are used in the apparatus and Patented Apr. 12, 1921 Application filed January 25, 1918. Serial No. 213,685.

the chutes 14 are constructed to "a width corresponding therewith. At the lower end of the chutes 14, insulating blocks 15 are mounted for supporting the electric terminal wipers 16 and 17. The wipers 16and 17 vary in length in correspondence with coins, such as indicated by the numeral 18, to be used therewith.

It will be understood that the wipers 16 are each. disposed in one of the chutes 14. For simplicity of illustration in this application, only one chute is shown, that being thelarger or what is here denominated as the nickel chute,and th numeral 18 indicates a coin of this denomination.

Extending'into each of the chutes and opposite each of the wipers 16 and 17,.is a trigger 19. The trigger 19 cooperates with both wipers 16 and 17 for supporting the coin 18. The trigger 19 has a horizontal arm whereon is mounted the spring terminal 20, which when actively disposedmakes contact with a spring terminal 21. The movement of the trigger 19 is regulated by two stop members 22, which are extended from a rocking lever 46 to limit the movement of the trigger. The wipers 16 and 17 are supported in the block 15 by small bolts which extend through the said block to operate as terminals for the jumpers 23 and 2 1. As shown best in Fig. 3, the jumpers 23 and 241 form parts of independent selective circuits, which incorporate the line wires 25 and 26 and the lamps 12and 11, respectively. The lamps 11 and 12 are both connected with the ground wire 27, which leads to the electric source or battery 28. The opposite terminal of the battery 28 is connected with the lead 29, which is connected with the jumpers 30, the latter being electrically connected with the terminal 21.

In Fig. 3 of the drawings, two coin-1e ceiving apparatuses are shown. It is obvious that as many such apparatuses as de sired may be employed, and that the construction of these apparatuses with respect to the coin-operating mechanism is the same. Also it is evident that if the coin 18 forms a contact between the trigger 19 and the wiper 16 in any of the boxes 8, the coin in said box establishes an operating circuit incorporating the battery 28 and the lamp 12. It is also evident that if the coin which connects the trigger l9 and wiper 17,-is used in any of the boxes 8, the circuit completed is that in which the lamp 11 is incorporated. Thus it will be seen that at the operating station and upon the board 13 thereof, a light signal will be given showing the operator that a coin has been dropped in one or another of the tier of boxes 8, and also will indicate the denomination of the coin. At the same time this information is given to the operator at the board 13, the users of the various stations are advised of the fact that one of the stations is using the telephone.

By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that each of the lamps 9 is electrically connected with the metal of the boxes 8, by one of the grounds 31, and by a jumper 32 with a lead wire 33, which is connected to the ground wire 27 and by it to the battery 28.

It will also be noted that each box 8 is connected by the jumpers 3a, to the windings of the spool magnets 35 and 36, fixedly mounted within the boxes 8 to operate the throw for delivering the coin as hereinafter described. The spool magnets 35 and 36 are mounted in series, the series wires shown in Fig. 3 being indicated by the numerals 37 and 38, and the said wires incorporating in working circuits, the various spool magnets 35 and 36, respectively.

\Vith such an equipment, it will now be observed by reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings, that when the coin 18 closes the operating circuit for the lamp 12, it likewise closes a lighting circuit for the two lamps 9. This circuit may now be figure, through the coils of the spool magnets 35 and 36, and the jumper 34 connecting thesame with the box still at the righthand of the figure; thence through either or both of the series wires 37 and 38 and coils of the spool magnets 35, 36 at the left of the figure by way of the jumper 34 at the left of the figure, through the box 8 at the left of the figure, and thence through the trigger 19 at the left of the figure, and the engaged terminals 20 and'21 through the jumper 30 to the lead 29, and return to the battery 28.

The same action and the same circuit ap plies equally when the coin electrically connects the trigger 19 and the wiper 17. Hence, it will be seen that whenever a coin of any denomination is dropped into the chute 14 of the apparatus, the lamps 9 in each and all of the various apparatuses glow, thereby notifying every subsequent perspective user of the apparatus that the apparatus is being used.

In the particular operation for which the present invention is designed, the operator at the local telephone switchboard having received instructions from the person intending to use the telephone, notifies the user to deposit the necessary coin. This is done, If it'is found that connection can not be made, the operator may return the coin by closing the switch 39, which places the battery '28 in circuit with the various spool. magnets 35. This circuit may be traced from the battery 28, through the ground wire 27, to the branch 40, switch 39, lead 11, magnet35, jumper 3 1, box 8, trigger 19, closed terminals 20 and 21, lead 29, to the battery 28.

By reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that when the spool magnet 35 shown therein is energized, the rocking armature 4:2 is rocked on its pivot support 13. The support 13 is a wire which after passing through suitable hearings in the frame of the chute, is upturned at the back of the apparatus, as seen best in F ig. 2 of the drawings, to form the oscillating arm 44:. The arm 1 1 is pivotally connected with a link 45, which rocks the lever &6 with the trigger 19 so as to permit the retraction of the said trigger from the path of the coin 18 with which it is engaged. This operation drops the coin 18,.with the concomitant that the operating circuit for the lamps 9, l1 and 12 is broken. As seen best in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the stop members 22 which control the movement of the trigger 19 when the same is moved by the coin 18, are mounted on'the end of the lever 46. WVhile the stop members 22 prevent the independ ent rotation of the trigger 19, they serve to Fixedly attached to the pivot support 43,"

is a diverting blade 4-7.. As seen by reference to Figs. 1 and 2, when the armature 4-2 is rocked by the attraction of the spool magnet 35, the blade 17 is swung to the left of the position shown in Fig. 1, or to the right of the position shown in Fig. 2. 'When the coin is dropped, it is deflected by the said blade 47 to the left of the said blade, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, for delivery into the tray opening 49 in the side thereof.

This is the operation when the attendant desires to return the coin to the prospective user of the apparatus for the reason that he has been unable to obtain the party or to make the proper connection for the call desired. If, however, the call has been completed, the attendant waits until the dropping of one of the darts on the local switchboard indicates the termination of the conversation. He then closes the switch 50, which energizes the spool magnets 86. It will be observed by reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings, that by energizing the magnet 36, the armature 42 is rocked in the opposite direction from that above described, with the result that the blade at? is pitched to the opposite direction, and in position to divert the coin when released by the trigger 19, for deposit in the locked compartment with which each of the boxes 8 is provided.

Olaims.

1. An apparatus as characterized e1nbodying a terminal, a wiper, and a trigger having a terminal normally out of contact with the first terminal, and in position to engage the first terminal, the trigger being spaced from the wiper to permit of the disposal of a coin between the wiper and the trigger, the coin serving to move the trigger so the terminal thereon will be brought into engagement with the first terminal.

2. An apparatus as characterized embodying a trigger having a terminal, a sec ond terminal in position to be engaged by the first terminal, two wipers, one spaced a greater distance from the trigger than the other, two lamps, two circuits leading from the lamps to the wipers respectively, and a circuit leading from the second mentioned terminal to the lamps.

3. An apparatus as characterized enibodying a terminal, a wiper, a trigger having a. terminal normally out of contact with the first terminal and in position to engage the first terminal, and a lamp having electrical communication with the trigger, the trigger being spaced from the wiper to permit of the disposal of a coin between the wiper and the trigger, the coin serving to 48, which has a finger.

move the trigger to a position where the terminal thereon will be brought into engagement with the first terminal.

4;. An apparatus as characterized embodying a plurality of branch stations, each having a wiper, a trigger having a terminal and spaced from the wiper, and a second terminal in position to be engaged by the first terminal, a plurality of lamps, one at each branch station, and means connecting all the lamps electrically with the triggers at all the branch stations.

5. An apparatus as characterized embodying a plurality of branch stations, each having a wiper, a trigger having a terminal and spaced from the wiper, a second terminal in position to be engaged by the first terminal, a plurality of lamps, one at each branch, a plurality of electrical means, one at each branch for directing coins passing between the wipers and the triggers, a plurality of grounds, one at each branch connecting electrically each lamp with the trigger and the said electrical means at its branch, and a circuit connecting the electrical means at each branch with the said electrical means at the other branches.

6. An apparatus as characterized embodying a plurality of branch stations, each having a wiper, a trigger having a terminal andspaced from the wiper, a second terminal in position to be engaged by the first terminal, a plurality of lamps, one at each branch, a plurality of electrical means, one at each branch for directing coins passing between the wipers and the triggers, a plurality of grounds, one at each branch connecting electrically each lamp with the trigger and the said electrical means at its branch, a circuit connecting the electrical means at each branch with the said electrical means at the other branches, a central station having a lamp and a switch, a circuit having branches leading to the switch, the lamp at the central station and the lamps at the branch stations, a wire leading from the switch and having branches leading to the said electrical means, and a wire having branches leading from the second mentioned terminals at the branch stations.

7. An apparatus as characterized embodying a plurality of coin collecting devices, a plurality of signals one mounted at the station of each of said devices, a plurality of magnets having means for directing coins deposited'in the devices, a circuit connecting the magnets, a plurality of circuits leading from the signals to the magnets, and open circuits leading from the second circuit to the signals and adapted to be completed by a coin deposited in any one of the said devices, and a circuit leading to the first circuit for energizing the magnets to direct the coins.

OSCAR A. PEDERSEN. 

